Chapter 20

"Hinata, you're here! Come take shots with me!"

Deidara grabbed her hand the moment they arrived at the house. It seemed he'd already had a few drinks, but he wasn't wholly trashed yet. Just happier and more excitable than usual, with a cute blush along his cheeks and nose.

Music played from down the hallway, the bass heavy and song unfamiliar.

"Hey, don't get her fuckin' wasted right off the bat!" Hidan called in a half-joking tone.

A large kitchen with a massive dining table lay at the end of the long entryway hall. Everyone else was there: Sasori, Itachi, Konan, and Kisame. There were two new faces there, too.

Deidara casually pulled her along, introducing them, "This is Nagato, and this is Zetsu."

Nagato was thin and pale with red hair and dark eyes, almost black but with the slightest violet hue. He seemed soft-spoken, maybe even shy, and smiled, "I've heard a lot about you. It's nice to put a face to the name."

Zetsu was also incredibly pale but wasn't as slender and was taller. He had such a light shade of brown eye that it almost appeared yellow and forest green hair. He offered no verbal greeting. Instead, he simply nodded pleasantly, not smiling but not seeming unhappy.

"Nagato is Yahiko's best friend. They grew up together. And Zetsu…. Uh, well, he likes plants. That's probably all you really need to know about him. He's pretty boring," Deidara drawled, motioning for Konan to make quicker work of preparing shots for them.

Kakuzu, Yahiko, and Hidan caught up, and the former sat beside Zetsu with a drained expression as though everyone was wearing him out.

A shot glass was shoved into her hand by Konan, who winked from where she stood beside Yahiko. They officially became a couple a few weeks ago, but you'd never be able to tell because they're very private and avoid PDA of any sort.

"To Kakuzu, who bought all the booze!"

Hinata nervously followed everyone's lead, clinking her glass to the others before tossing it back. She winced slightly as it burnt her throat on the way down but quickly recovered.

Deidara made her take another shot with him almost immediately after, and then Hidan pulled her toward the door, "What did I fuckin' say, Deidara? Not everyone's an alcoholic like you!"

Warmth met Hinata's face, but she allowed the silver-haired boy to pull her down the hall and upstairs, "U-Um, where are we going?"

"You don't wanna carry that backpack around all night, do you?"

Hidan guided her into the first bedroom at the top of the steps and removed the bag from her shoulder, tossing it into a chair in front of a small desk. There wasn't much to the room. Other than the desk, there was a bed with dark-colored sheets and a dresser.

'I suppose he wouldn't take the time to decorate since they're only staying here temporarily,' she mused, eyes drifting to the thick blanket on the bed as she removed her winter coat and carefully lay it near her bag. If things go well tonight, that would be the place where she'll offer something significant to her boyfriend.

Speaking of Hidan, he snickered, "Don't get trashed, Princess. I don't feel like holding your hair tonight." He leisurely led the way back downstairs with an amused smirk.

Hinata scoffed, "You say that like you've had to do it before."

"Call it a hunch, but I get the feeling you're a damn lightweight."

They wandered over to watch Itachi and Kisame face Konan and Yahiko in beer pong. Hidan left momentarily, only to return with two red cups of something and handed one over. When she took a sip, it was clearly alcohol. His gaze warmed as he watched the look of distaste meet her features, but he simply shook his head instead of commenting.

"Kakuzu, what made you decide to splurge tonight? Usually, we can't even get you to leave a tip at a restaurant," Zetsu asked conversationally.

Hinata sipped her drink, not missing the glance the older man and Hidan shared. Before he could respond, an arm came heavily over the shy girl's shoulders, making her stumble slightly. When she looked over, it was Deidara.

He smiled brightly, "It's a thank you party for Hinata! She totally saved our asses!"

'...I did?'

The green-haired man and Nagato seemed just as confused as her, the former being the one to speak, "That's a story I'd like to hear."

Sasori wandered over as his blonde friend began explaining, "Kabuto went after her at a party a while back, and she totally kicked him in the nuts. Then, Hidan and Kakuzu beat the hell outta him."

Hinata sent her boyfriend a pleading look, begging him to rescue her from the inebriated Deidara, but he only grinned, lifting a provocative brow at her as he sipped his drink.

'He thinks this is so funny, doesn't he? I haven't eaten in hours, so I'm already feeling the effects of the alcohol.' With nothing else to do, she sipped her drink, too. Maybe being tipsy would make her less uncomfortable.

"Then we tried to keep our distance because we were worried Kabuto would come after her. If they thought she wasn't affiliated with us, we hoped they wouldn't seek her out. The thing is…."

The arm around her shoulders tightened, Deidara's other one coming around her front in a hug. Blushing, Hinata stared at him, bewildered.

His voice became warmer, blue eyes mirroring the act, "It was impossible to stay away when she's so cute and fierce. We were gonna tell her why we'd done what we did, but Orochimaru got to her first."

"And you're still alive today?" Zetsu asked her, appearing impressed.

"Shut up, bro. I'm not done telling the story!" The blonde released Hinata from his hug but still kept an arm around her shoulders.

'He's really drunk…. Maybe someone should cut him off before he goes too far.'

"It was our fault she got mixed up in everything, so we all went to rescue her. We got our asses handed to us. I really thought Orochimaru was going to kill Hidan and then the rest of us, but then Hinata showed up, covered in blood and half-dead."

The girl in question choked on the drink, turning and lowering her head while covering her mouth as she coughed.

"She, like, jumped on Orochimaru's back and totally stabbed that motherfucker!"

"Alright, that's enough. Get off before you hurt her, moron," Sasori grumbled, pulling his friend away from her with an irritated expression. Like a child, Deidara pouted as he argued with the redhead.

Over the next hour or so, everyone drank, chatted, and hung out. When Hinata finished tossing back shot number five, also haven drunk whatever was in the red cup she'd been given, she suddenly felt much more inebriated.

"Excuse me, okay? I gotta…." She mumbled drunkenly and trailed off as she left Itachi and Kisame, with whom she'd been sitting.

Feeling unstable and a little giggly, she stumbled over to the tall man with silver hair and broad shoulders whose back was turned. He was standing near Zetsu, Yahiko, Kakuzu, Nagato, and Konan with a beer in his hand. A small laugh left her lips when she stumbled right behind him and ended up catching herself by wrapping her arms around his waist.

More laughs quietly escaped her when he tensed in surprise before turning to see her attempting to regain her balance, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, uh- Oh! You smell amazing."

Hidan's shock quickly passed, and he wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her into his side as he tossed his head back and chuckled, "I was wondering when you'd get drunk enough to come flirt with me."

She frowned but greedily appreciated the chance to be close to him, "What happened on the beach…. Y-You just looked so pretty-" Her face fell comically as she realized what her voice sounded like, "Ah, I'm drunk, huh?"

A few of the others laughed along with the silver-haired man this time.

"How many goddamn times do I have to tell you that men can't be pretty, tits?"

Hinata's brow furrowed in annoyance, and she stood straighter so she could fix him with a weak glare, "How many times do I have to tell you that that's not my name? Call me by Hinata or babe or something cute like that!"

Hidan glared but shook his head with a sigh, "Do I look like the type of guy to call someone 'babe'?"

"You were right. I can't believe it," Nagato suddenly said to Yahiko, who smirked. Both were watching the couple argue, along with everyone else standing there in mild surprise, minus Kakuzu, who just looked irritated.

"Can't believe what?" Usually, Hinata'd be too timid to ask nosily what they were talking about but had liquid courage to thank for her change in demeanor.

Sasori nodded toward her boyfriend with a half-drunken grin. Deidara leaned heavily into his side. "We all wanna know how a tiny thing like you managed to tame Hidan. Tell us your secret."

The girl looked at the man in question, confused, "Tamed? He's not an ani-" She gasped, pulling away from his side and grinning excitedly, "You're like a cat! It makes perfect sense!"

More laughs filled the air, but Hidan seemed bewildered, "What the fuck?"

Hinata hummed happily, hugging him around the waist so her cheek was pressed to his chest, "I don't wanna explain it."

'Cats always pretend it's a coincidence they're in the same room as their owners all the time, but really they love them. Hidan's just like that!'

"Yer right! He's a cat boy!"

She pulled away at the familiar sound of Deidara's voice and turned to face him. He grinned but then appeared distracted, "Aw, Hina, yer so cute when yer drunk! Lemme hug ya! C'mere!" Then the blonde knocked her drink all over her front while throwing his arms around her.

She stumbled backward under his weight, too drunk to properly find her balance again. Multiple people sounded surprised and annoyed, but Konan just giggled drunkenly.

Sasori pulled Deidara off her while Hidan cursed, "Fuckin' watch it, Dumbass!" His hand was on her shoulder to prevent her from falling.

The blue-haired girl teased, voice less monotone than usual, "Oh, no, Hidan! If she stays in wet clothes, she might get sick. Whatever will you do?" Yahiko snickered but reached over to put a hand over her mouth, earning a muffled laugh from his girlfriend.

Hinata wasn't entirely sure what her friend was talking about, but it seemed funny, so she giggled, arching her neck to look up at Hidan with a smile.

Magenta eyes narrowed before he rolled them, "Alright, c'mon, idiot."

Konan called after them, tugging her boyfriend's hand away from her mouth, "Have fun, you two!"

~

Sorry for the slightly shorter chapter!

I'll make up for it on the next one!

Thanks for reading!